Why the Netflix Version of 'Rebecca' Was a Mistake.

When I sat down to watch the remake of 'Rebecca', I was disappointed to find that the first 20 minutes were incredibly hokey. I felt at times like I was watching a Disney Channel original movie. There was very little sense of place - often, I felt it could have been anywhere at any given time period. 

 

When we moved to Manderly, things picked up a little. But I still couldn’t quite put my finger on what was wrong. For one thing, there was very little chemistry between the two leads. And I couldn’t help but feel that Lily James was just - well, Lily James. I didn’t quite buy her in this role. Although the character is often defined by her youth and naivety, often referred to as a “girl”, I felt James was often too girlish, and that someone with a little more maturity could have brought a lot more to the role. I know a big part of the character is her eventual blossoming into womanhood, but James just had too much of that wide-eyed wonder. I think this was part of the reason I sometimes felt like I was watching a campy preteen movie. I half expected the main character to burst into song (ABBA, maybe?) at any given time.

Perhaps James was at a loss beside Armie Hammer, who did a lot more with his role, and whose acting chops did tend to outshine hers.

 

As I said, scenes improve once they’re in Manderly. And it did get a few jumps out of me, such as the sleepwalking scene, or when James is looking through Rebecca’s morning room. But it still felt campy and off. Even the significant “R” symbol, a symbol of Rebecca’s elegance and ever-continuing presence, looked off. When I saw it on a hairbrush, it reminded me of a logo from a beauty range out of Penneys.

 

Some of the other design choices were questionable, such as a lot of the outfit choices they gave the main character. At one point, while exploring the cliffs, she’s wearing a weird pantsuit that contributes to the fact that this movie could have been set ANY TIME. Or at least it feels that way. And the flared pantsuit outfit really didn’t help the Mamma Mia thoughts in my brain.

In general, it was just hokey. Some of the side characters were well executed, such as Maxim’s sister who makes a brief but memorable appearance, played by Bodyguard's Keeley Hawes. And of course, Mrs. Danvers, acted brilliantly by Kristin Scott Thomas, who did her best with the direction she was given. But some characters were just bad, like the keeper’s son who is meant to be creepy, but instead feels like an annoying side character out of Harry Potter.

I felt like every time I was starting to enjoy myself – like for example, when James’ character is running through the house chasing Rebecca’s ghost during the costume party – something jarring would drag me out of it. Like, during the same sequence, when ‘A woman is a branchy tree’ begins crooning over the soundtrack as the party goers advance, intercut with images of fireworks, and it’s just a bit strange.

 

Ultimately the film comes to a grinding halt after a quite boring court sequence and investigation, during which I lost all remaining interest.

There are two ways of looking at this movie - as a film itself, and as a remake. As a film it’s a 7. As a remake, it’s a 6.